Shock At Lagos Airport : Tramadol Hidden in Frozen Snails, UK-Based Nurse, Others Arrested

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted several consignments of illicit drugs cleverly concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and women’s clothing bound for the United States, United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to a statement by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the operations took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and at a courier company in Lagos, leading to the arrest of at least two suspects linked to the attempted exports.

One of the suspects, identified as Boladale Riliwan, a cargo agent, was arrested on October 7 after 15 parcels of skunk— a potent strain of cannabis — were found hidden inside 10 pieces of giant rechargeable electrical bulbs he attempted to ship to the DRC.

Another arrest involved 48-year-old Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, a UK-based public health assistant, who was apprehended on October 12 at the departure hall of Terminal 2, MMIA, Ikeja. NDLEA officers discovered that she had concealed 2,300 pills of Tramadol 225mg inside frozen snails in her luggage while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester, United Kingdom.

In a separate bust, NDLEA operatives at a courier firm in Lagos thwarted an attempt to export 810 pills of bromazepam cleverly tucked inside female clothing destined for the United States on October 16.

Meanwhile, in Adamawa State, NDLEA officers intercepted Bello Buba at a checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South LGA, on October 12. Buba was found with 38,270 pills of Tramadol concealed in the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of a Honda Civic, which he had driven all the way from Benin Republic in a bid to smuggle the drugs into Nigeria.

The NDLEA says all suspects are currently in custody and investigations are ongoing to dismantle the criminal networks behind the intercepted consignments.

The agency reiterated its commitment to maintaining vigilance at Nigeria’s entry and exit points, warning traffickers that their “days of exploiting creative concealment tricks are numbered.”